I didn't love this, but it was definitely interesting and kept me thinking "what is going to happen next!. Edgar Mint is a person with pretty much no luck, he's half Native American, half White and grows up on a reservation until his head is run over by a mail truck. Then he goes from place to place, just to end up where he should have been to begin with. The injustice of what happens in Edgar's life makes you wonder how far the author is going to take it, and sometimes it will make you cringe. The situations that take place on the reservation were especially bothersome. Edgar, who after surviving brain trauma and a coma, has enough trouble understanding who he is, only to get taunted for being "too white". And when he's off the reservation, he's treated like an alien and becomes the brunt of stereotypical Native American jokes.
I saw a lot of similarities to Forrest Gump. Edgar is not slow like Forrest was, but extremely innocent, from a broken home, underestimated, and the victim of a lot of taunting and bullying. He's surrounded by characters you'll hate (his mother) and others who are extremely flawed, but shape and help him along in life.
This wasn't as good as The Lonely Polygamist, which Udall did as well, but for a first novel, I think its a definite accomplishment. The character development in Polygamist can't be compared, so its great to see how much Udall has grown as a writer. I truly enjoy all of his work, and even though this wasn't my favorite, I will continue to look out for the next Udall book.
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